3g

It appears that Google is on the move again with the Nexus One. This time it seems as though there will be a Nexus One with AT&T 3G bands. This is great news for AT&T Android customers who have been lusting over the greatest Android handset to date. Hopefully this will come to AT&T soon; my guess is it will debut sometime in the summer shortly after the Verizon version is released this spring.

If you already purchased these devices I hope you like it because you may be stuck with it. The folks over at tmonews.com got their hands on what appears to be a screen shot of T-Mobile’s return policy for the myTouch 3G Fender Edition. Let’s hope this is not yet been implemented and just something that they are considering.

Here you go ladies and gentlemen. If you are a fan of guitars and music your going to want this phone in your collection. The myTouch 3G has been available since Jan 20th and we have ourselves our first look at what’s included in the box. This unboxing of this glorious phone was brought to you by Todd from MobileBurn. So without further ado, here’s the unboxing.

A simple fix could address multiple complaints about Google's Nexus One smartphone and its patchy 3G performance. According to Kevin Tofel at jkOnTheRun, setting his smartphone to automatically choose its preferred carrier caused it to instantly hop on board T-Mobile's 3G network.

"In “Settings,” I went to “Wireless & networks.” Look for the “Mobile Networks” option at the bottom of this listing. The next screen has a “Network Operators” section — tap it. Your Nexus One will search for compatible GSM networks in the area. Once it’s complete, you’ll see the choices, which will consist of T-Mobile and/or AT&T. You’ll also see a choice to Select Automatically — tap it and your phone should say “Registered on network.” That’s it. That’s all I did and I immediately saw the phone jump from EDGE to T-Mobile’s fast 3G network."

Previously Kevin had been stuck with EDGE connectivity, despite other handsets (with similar support for the T-Mobile 3G bands as the Nexus One has) being able to pull in high-speed 3G downloads and uploads while in the exact same location. Even after rebooting, the Nexus One now automatically locks onto the T-Mobile 3G network.
It's unclear what the explanation for this fix is, though it seems that somewhere in the setup or firmware of the Nexus One the handset has been instructed to prioritize EDGE connectivity over 3G. It's possible that this is to ensure broader connectivity overall - though at a lower speed - but so far Google and T-Mobile are yet to comment. Nexus One owners, let us know if this works for you!

Now that the Android-based Acer Liquid A1 is on sale in the UK, many Americans are hoping to get their hands on that nice smartphone. Well, some of them might get their which granted now that the Liquid A1 has passed the FCC.
Apparently, the first Acer Android smartphone; the Acer Liquid A1 was spotted at the FCC's testing. Not only that, but it also appears to have complete support for the 850 and 1900MHz bands, which happen to be the same 3G bands that the DeathSta... errr, AT&T use here in the US.
So far there's no word from AT&T or Acer on this matter, and of course the FCC isn't saying anything either. Will the Acer Liquid A1 be the first Android smartphone from AT&T is yet to be seen. But for those who want this Android phone, is good to know that is one step closer to be release in America.

You might remember those rumors about T-Mobile's "Project Black" or "Project Dark", from early this month. Now those rumors are, the next big news from T-Mo, according to many followers of the magenta cellphone carrier. Project Dark plans have been confirmed.
These new contract and non-contract packages, which are curiously named; T-Mobile Even More and Even More Plus plans, will start at $59 and $49 respectively. So, on the contract plan expect the traditional device subsidy with a two-year agreement. In the non-contract plans you won't have to deal with the two-year agreement, but you'll end up paying full price for your device, therefore the cheaper price of the monthly plan.
And for those who want to save money by having a family plan, have no fear, each new plan comes with a family variant as well. T-Mo is also introducing a new "Equipment Installment Plan" for qualified customers. The way this works is simple; you can pay for your phone over time with interest-free payments. Your first payment will be due at the time you purchase your phone, and the remaining payments will be charged to your monthly bill.
The Even More option is for $19.99 minimum qualifying equipment purchase, and 4 interest-free monthly installments, this option is available to current customers. On the Even More Plus option you pay for your phone in 20 interest-free installments and the minimum qualifying equipment purchase starts also at $19.99.
According to T-Mobile the Even More unlimited plan is half the price of comparable AT&T and Verizon plans, and if you think about it, is similar to what Sprint is offering. Now lets hope T-Mo starts to offer a bigger coverage area for its subscribers. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments.

Ebook reader apps for Android have been in the Android Market for some time now, but we've yet to see a production ebook device that uses Google's open-source platform. That could change imminently, however, with the unveiling of the Spring Design Alex ebook reader, a dual-display slate that has a standard 6-inch E Ink panel up top and a second, 3.5-inch color LCD touchscreen underneath, while Android runs the whole show.

Going by the feedback in the Android Community forums, Samsung's I7500 is one eagerly anticipated cellphone. The good news is that the AMOLED touchscreen smartphone has cleared the FCC, complete with support for T-Mobile's 1700MHz 3G network.
While the FCC report contains no new information regarding the I7500 beyond what Samsung themselves told us at the handset's launch, it's nonetheless good to see that a US release is pretty much confirmed. Ostensibly similar to the HTC Magic, in that it lacks a hardware keyboard, the I7500 brings with it a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, plus 8GB of onboard storage.
What's still unclear is when the I7500 will reach the US market. T-Mobile USA have made no official comment as to whether they will be offering the I7500, and so far only O2 in Europe have confirmed that they will be launching the smartphone, at an unspecified date over the summer.
[via PhoneScoop - thanks ghettoyungin718!]

Hot on the heels of Samsung's I7500 Android phone comes this pair, the Samsung Spica, on the left, and the Samsung Bigfoot, on the right. Both running Google's Android platform, only the next-gen version currently known as Android OS 2.0 "Donut", they're expected to drop in Q3 2009.
The Spica is a mass market handset with triband HSDPA (900/1900/2100) and a 3-megapixel autofocus camera, and will slot in beneath the Samsung I7500. Onboard storage is 100MB, plus a microSD card, and there's WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and GPS, plus an accelerometer and digital compass. The Spica's touchscreen display is a 3-inch WQVGA LCD, and the whole thing measures 111.5 x 52.6 x 12.9 mm.
As for the Samsung Bigfoot, that has the same specifications as the Spica but throws in HSDPA (900/1700/2100) for T-Mobile USA 3G network compatibility. It also gains some girth - 16.3mm thick, in fact - thanks to the slide-out QWERTY keyboard. While it's too early to say, it does rather resemble the tiny render of the T-Mobile G1 v2 spotted in the carrier's leaked roadmap.
Samsung are apparently giving the Spica a new version of their TouchWiz GUI, rather than leaving the handset as a standard Android handset. There's also word that Android OS 2.0 "Donut" will support WVGA displays and have a number of new features that existing Android devices won't support (or even have an upgrade option for), the speculation being that handset manufacturers have been waiting for this new version for their first Android foray.
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[via Unwired View]

From Android-based MIDs to an Android netbook, the first budget ultraportable to adopt Google's open-source OS looks to be the Skytone Alpha 680. A convertible netbook with a 7-inch 800 x 480 display, ARM11 533MHz processor and mere 1GB of onboard storage, the Alpha 680's selling point looks set to be its price, suggested as just $100.
For that you get a "capacitive touchpad", which we're assuming means the trackpad below the keyboard rather than the netbook's display itself. Other specs include WiFi, 128MB of DDR2 RAM (expandable to a heady 256MB) and two USB 2.0 ports. 3G is another option, but there's no telling whether it's integrated or merely plugs into one of those USB ports.
The hardware won't blow anybody away, but if Skytone can bring the Alpha 680 to market then they'll likely find at least a few buyers. We'd wager this is a product in desperate search of a distributor, however, so don't hold your breath.
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[via UMPC Fever]